Chapter 4 - Soap on a Roap -

Sora woke up later that morning, a little less tired and rather enthusiastic about helping with breakfast. After insisting that he cook, Akane treated herself to a jog and returned to a delicious meal. Soun and Hikari ate it up hungrily, while she savored it slowly.
Sora sighed, putting down his rice.
"She's not up yet"
Standing up abruptly, he took a deep breath.
"YUI! BREAKFAST"
"NYAOOO"
In a matter of seconds, Yui was at the table with a rice bowl in hand, her ears surprisingly absent.
"Eiya! Sorry"
"That's okay," Sora smiled. "I saved enough for you"
"Thank you, Niichan!" she grinned, and began to serve herself something.
"Yui-chan, your ears are gone!" Akane said. Yui looked at her.
"Really?" she said, touching the top of her head. "Oh, I guess you're right! They just go away on their own and show up randomly, it's very strange"
Sora nodded to show it was true.
"Huh, how interesting..." Akane said.
"I'm full!" Hikari announced. "What about you, Sora"
He nodded in agreement.
"So, what about that battle we talked about last night?" he offered. "Oh, yes please!" Hikari replied, her eyes lighting up. It had been a while since she had found a good opponent, and anyone who could get hit by a car and still be healthy after only 3 days sounded like a pretty good challenge. "Do you know where the training hall is"
"He does," said Akane, snatching the newspaper before Soun could get it. "Have fun, kids, just don't kill each other"
"'kay, mom!" Hikari said. "Come on, let's go"
Sora, who had been staring at Akane rather strangely was jerked by Hikari's arm into the training hall.
"Okay, so...how do you want to fight?" Hikari asked. "Anything goes, or in a certain style"
Sora shrugged. "Anything goes, I guess. We don't really know each other's fighting styles, do we"
"I suppose we don't!" Hikari smiled. "Okay, on my mark, we start. One...two"
They struck a stance, nearly mirroring each other, but neither of them noticed.
"Three"
Hikari was the first to move, starting with a strong kick, but Sora dodged perfectly and parried with a strong swipe to her ribs, but failed as she turned sideways for another kick. They were perfectly matched and equally powerful as they kicked, punched, and parried, and soon were panting.
"You're...pretty good..." Hikari gasped.
"You...too..." Sora replied. "Delivery! Hikari-chan, are you there?" said a high-pitched voice.
"Ah! Perfume!" Hikari grinned, skipping to the front door. After quickly catching his breath, Sora followed.
A young girl perhaps around his age with lavender-colored hair cut in a short bob around her face was smiling at the door, talking animatedly with Hikari. The two little buns of hair that stuck out on top of her head wiggled as she laughed, then her pointed, cat-like eyes saw Sora.
"Who's he"
"Oh! Sora, this is Perfume," Hikari said pleasantly. Sora walked forward and shook hands with the young girl.
"Pleasure!" Perfume said.
"Perfume is the daughter of a friend of ours," Hikari said. "Oh, Soap? Are you here too"
A small boy with glasses far too big for his mousy face stepped back behind Perfume and hid shyly.
"This is my little brother, Soap," Perfume said. "Soap, quit being so shy"
He mumbled something in another language, and Perfume snapped back in the same tongue.
"Chinese?" Sora said, suprised.
"Oh! Yes! Do you speak any?" Perfume asked.
"Wo hui shou yi dian," Sora grinned.
"Ah! Zhen de a!" Perfume giggled. "That's very cool! I don't meet very many people who speak Chinese nowadays"
"I spent at least half of my life there; I picked up a bit," said Sora.
"That's awesome!" Hikari said. "So"
"Oh! Well, here's your Nakayoshi back. GOD, Bishoujo Senshi was so nail-biting"
"I KNOW!" Hikari squealed. "I had no idea that Usagi was really the princess"
"Well, lemme know when you get the next issue, okay?" Perfume said, smiling.
"Sure thing! See you later!" Hikari said, waving. Perfume mounted her bike, as Soap got on the small crate attached to the bike that was used for deliveries. Sora watched them disappear down the street. "I didn't know you lived in China," Hikari said. "Why didn't you tell us"
Sora shrugged.
"I felt there wasn't a need," he replied. "So...on with our match, or are you finished"
"On with the match!" she said enthusiastically. "But I think that the dojo's a little cramped; care to go outside"
"I'd love to, it's so nice out," Sora smiled. "You lead"
She brought him to the back yard, near the infamous koi pond that her grandfather and father often fought over, or so the pictures and stories said.
"On your mark," she said, and struck a stance.
"Go!" she said, and she and Sora lunged at each other and began to fight. Sora leaped high into the air, and Hikari followed, and they were suspended there, whacking at each other, until.
"Kids! I need help with the laundry"
The two of them fell into the pool, and Akane peeked her head to catch a glimpse of them right before they hit the water.
"Oh goodness, here we go again..." she sighed. "Hikari, Sora, get out of the pond right now and help with the laundry"
Sora surfaced with a sheepish grin, and Akane was half-suprised to find that he hadn't transformed into a girl, as Ranma did.
"No problem, Mrs. Saotome, just let us dry off first"
Hikari laughed along with him as they made their way out.